Thunderbirds Are Go!
Halloween Specials 2021 Edition
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. I do not own Thunderbirds or any affiliated characters with the show.
Spirits of the Underground
By Virgil Tracy
I can get why urban explorers love exploring places that have been ravaged by time. I mean, I find abandoned architecture and old systems fascinating myself, but some Urban explorers get on my nerves. They often find themselves in a jam that they can't get out of and it's up to International Rescue to go and dig them out. Sure it's our job to save lives in danger, but these people continuously do it because they can't keep away from history. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I can assure you it's for a reason. One particular call out ended with a bizarre and creepy experience that is still etched into my brain. It all started when an Explorer called Amy decided to explore London's disused underground rail tunnels. In this century, people can easily access the city by mono trains that hug the skyline, but in the past, they relied on the tube to get around. The tunnels with their interconnecting platforms also served a vital part during World War Two. Sadly, people lost their lives down there too.
The incident began one afternoon in the lounge. Alan watched one of Amy's live streams as she entered the underground network from the old Highgate entrance. Despite watching her descent from the safety of a TV screen, a level of discomfort swept over me. I admired her enthusiasm for going down there, but I couldn't help but feel concerned for her safety. Alan assured me that she knew what she was doing, but I had my reservations. A few minutes later just as Gordon entered the lounge, the colour drained from Alan's face. The feed went dead accompanied by a loud and blood-curdling scream. Alan spun round in his seat, frightened that Amy had hurt herself down there.
"What the hell just happened!?" he said. "We've got to get down there."
"Why do they do it?" I sighed as looked over at Gordon. "Come on, bro. We better get over there."
"I'll see you in Thunderbird Two," Gordon replied. "Don't worry, Alan. We'll find her."
Before I could traverse the launch chute which carried me towards my Thunderbird, Amy's frightened voice echoed over the monitor.
"If anyone can hear me. Please...please help. I don't know where I am. I...I don't think I'm alone!"
Then suddenly, the feed cut out again. We scrambled as fast as we could. Thunderbird Two launched off the pad in under three minutes flat. As we cruised the skies towards the British coastline, we kept a communication line open with the rest of the family. Scott and Alan's holograms periodically floated before us as we flew. Gordon selected Pod 5 with our exploration gear. We had to assume the possibility that Amy could be trapped down there, but one part of her message didn't add up. She said that she didn't think she was alone. That begged the question. Who else could be down there?
By Nightfall, we arrived at the overgrown entrance to the Highgate station. It was 3 am and landing proved to be tricky. Gently setting down alongside the disused overground platform, we disembarked Thunderbird Two, armed with flashlights and portable excavating equipment. When arrived at the stairwell which led underground, we took a second to draft a plan. We felt an uncomfortable air mass waft up and hit us as we did. It was creepy down there. I didn't know why anyone would want to venture them after dark. However, before we could make our descent, a sudden sound stopped us.
"Wait, do you hear that?" I whispered.
Gordon heard it too. "Yeah. It sounds like...footsteps? Could that be her?"
"There's only one way to find out."
Shining my torch into the darkened entrance, I called out for Amy. I hoped for a reply but didn't receive one. The footsteps dissipated to the echoes of my voice as if startled by our presence. Mystified, we made our way inside. The beams of our flashlights aided us as we traversed the rotting remains of the station's ticket hall. The air felt thick with dust and other containments. The energy of the place shifted the moment we reached the platform. Our flashlights shone across the iconic infrastructure of the tube tunnels. As we stood there, we could feel the darkness envelop us. Still, I decided to push my fears to one side as we picked a direction to search in.
"Amy! Can you hear my voice? This is International Rescue! Where are you!?"
Again, my voice travelled down the empty tunnel, unable to find a reply. We decided to follow the tunnel towards Kentish Town, figuring that she would've gone that way. Immediately, I understood why she didn't feel alone down there. The tunnels created an atmosphere. A vibe that made my hairs stand on end. It felt as if a dozen eyes were locked on me and my brain was expecting someone to jump out at us from the shadows. At the same time, the rational part of my brain told me to expect a hoax out of all of this. I wish it were a hoax. Honest. We walked for a few miles when we arrived at the dilapidated platform at Kentish Town. We still hadn't managed to locate Amy and it was at this point that we began to fear the worst.
"She could be anywhere!" Gordon sighed. "This system is like a maze. Where do we start?"
I paused in silence to contemplate the situation. As I did, we were stunned by another sound. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the tunnel ahead of us. We stood there paralysed as they grew louder with each step. As we tried to explain the cause of these steps, a shape appeared from the dark. It was a figure of a man. He was short in height and wore what looked like he was wearing blue overalls. He wore an old miner's helmet with a lamp on the top which shone but somehow didn't light up the walls around him. Perplexed by his sudden presence, I called out to him.
"Hey...buddy! Can you help us? We're looking for a missing explorer who's down here. Have you seen her at all?"
The figure stopped in his tracks and turned his head. My heart froze instantly when I got a look at his face. His skin was ghostly white but the rest of his features were missing. I could feel my hands shaking in fear as I looked at the ghastly figure right in his featureless face. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he continued on his cold and lifeless journey. He trudged on into the tunnels behind us and faded out of existence. I couldn't process what I had just seen. Gordon pulled himself together. I felt him grab me by the arm, reminding me that our mission wasn't over. Amy was still missing and she needed our help, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to bolt. I pushed the encounter to the back of my head, allowing me to continue. As we proceeded down the tunnels towards Camden Town, the activity intensified. The sound of footsteps continued, shadow figures swept the tunnels around us and strange lights flickered in the dark. The phantoms had claimed these tunnels, unable to move on from their purgatory. Their ghostly cries told their stories.
The sounds of screaming and crying echoed from distant platforms, the sound of clanking tools bounced off the stone walls. Each encounter felt a little less scary. It was like listening to a residual account of history. All that energy and raw emotion had been stored within the walls. Experts call it the 'Stone Tape Theory' and we were witnessing it for ourselves. Gordon raced on ahead for a while but abruptly stopped at a junction. Walked up beside him and shone my light on him. He spotted something else manifesting on the old railway lines. My eyes widened as the figure of a young woman appeared before us. She was slim but tall with strawberry red hair as her youthful face stared back at us. Her energy irradiated a warmth that assured us that she was friendly. She was dressed in 1940's clothing and carried an empty satchel which once carried a gas mask. The woman was slightly translucent than that of the creepy man we witnessed earlier. Without a word, she raised her left arm slowly and extended her finger towards Euston. For the first time, I smiled and realised that she was showing us the way.
With a solemn thank you, the spirit vanished. We felt optimistic about our chances of finding Amy. When we traversed the tunnel towards Euston station, we found her. Amy had crouched herself in the doorway over a service hatch. Her head snapped upwards when I touched her on the shoulder.
"W-Who are you?" she trembled.
"It's okay, take it easy," I replied calmly. "We're from International Rescue."
Amy paused as we helped her up to her feet.
"How did you find me?" she asked.
"Thank the internet," Gordon chuckled. "Come on. I know the way out of here."
Before we could walk away, I felt Amy grip my arm hard. It took me seconds to know why. A loud snarl echoed in the dark behind us. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder to see a pair of red glowing eyes staring right back at me. I couldn't see who these eyes belonged to, but I can assure you that they were real. We looked on in horror as they blinked erratically like a crazed madman. Its malevolent presence didn't like us being down there. This section of the underground was its domain and we weren't welcome there. I could hear Gordon gulp loudly as he whispered;
"We better get out of here."
"Yeah, right!" I agreed as I flipped my head back towards the tunnels in front of me.
Grabbing Amy's hand, we traversed the tunnels back towards Highgate. It was a damn sight easier to navigate now that our eyes had adjusted to the dark, but that sense of security had long gone. I remember glancing back periodically to see the red eyes following us. The malevolent entity made sure that we weren't coming back by seeing us out personally. When we arrived at Highgate, we scrambled the staircase and back out to the surface. We had never been so thankful for breathing the cool night air again after inhaling all that dust. We may have made it after exploring those tunnels, but the angry spirit wasn't down. A deep guttural growl echoed through the old ticket hall. A terrifing message followed the growl.
"Stay Out!"
Needless to say, we got the message. Without uttering a word, we returned to Thunderbird Two and left the area, putting the dreary London suburb behind us. We flew Amy to the nearest hospital despite her insistence that she was fine. She inhaled a lot of contaminants and needed to get checked out. So after arguing the case with her, she relented.
On the trip home, we talked about our experiences down there. Of course, we didn't expect the rest of the family to believe us, but there this was too hard to ignore. I can never forget those red eyes that wanted us out of there or the graceful woman spirit that showed us the way to Amy. It's inspired me to research the many spirits of the London Underground to help me better understand what happened to them all those years ago. It's sad knowing that they'll never find peace, but the tunnels belong to them now, and I believe it's better to respect them, by leaving them alone. As for Amy, I'm willing to bet that this incident hasn't deterred her from exploring in any way, but I do hope that it has made her think twice about the ground she's treading on because you'll never know what ground you could be disturbing.